Today, many different kinds of disposable absorbent articles are being manufactured on a plurality of unique machines. Disposable absorbent articles are currently being manufactured and sold for use by infants, toddlers and adults. Such disposable absorbent articles include infant diapers, child training pants, menstrual pants, adult incontinent undergarments, guards for men, briefs, etc. Many machines are limited to producing a distinct disposable absorbent article in a particular size. Some machines can be retrofitted or modified to produce a smaller or larger size disposable absorbent article but no machine has the ability to produce a variety of different absorbent articles. For example, a machine that can produce one or two sizes of infant diapers cannot easily be retrofitted to produce a refastenable adult incontinent undergarment.
Many manufacturers produce several sizes or codes of each disposable absorbent article to accommodate the various sizes, shapes, configurations and absorbency levels required by a particular set of users. For example, diapers are manufactured in various sizes to accommodate the growth of a baby. One size diaper is sized and shaped to accommodate a new born infant, while several other diapers are sized and shaped to accommodate an infant of increasing weight, torso shape and dimension. A diaper designed for an infant weighing from between about 7 to about 10 pounds will require a certain absorbency level while a diaper designed for an infant weighing from between about 10 to about 15 pounds will require a much higher absorbency level. In addition, as a baby grows, its bodily size and shape will quickly change and the waist opening, leg openings, rise of the diaper, etc., will have to change to accommodate such growth. Furthermore, the sex of the baby will also affect the design of the disposable absorbent article. For example, a diaper designed for a boy will be different from a diaper designed for a girl in that the position of the absorbent material will be skewed to match up with the genitalia of the infant.
It has long been recognized that if a machine could be invented that had the capability of manufacturing various kinds of disposable absorbent articles in various sizes, it would be welcomed by the manufacturers of such articles. Such a machine would reduce capital cost and reduce the number of spare parts that a manufacturer needs to retain. In addition, if all the machines were of essentially the same appearance and performed in a similar manner and function, one could increase operating efficiency. Furthermore, as the demand for a certain article increased, a manufacturer would be able to switch production on a single machine to meet demand using a single crew. This universal machine would also allow a manufacturer to get into new markets with a limited investment. For example, a manufacturer could startup an operation in a third world country and use the machine to produce say only infant diapers. As the market grew and demand picked up, the manufacturer could use the same machine to manufacture training pants and/or adult incontinent undergarments. Furthermore, a roll out of an improvement could be accomplished in a very short period of time at reduced cost.
Now an apparatus and a method for manufacturing several distinct disposable absorbent articles on a single machine has been invented.